Mediaboss Marketing

Like teammate Kyrie Irving, Garrett Temple is a vice-president of the NBPA, the players union, and as such, Temple has said he believes the NBAs return-to-play can be a vehicle for enhancing players social justice goals.

Some have reported that Irving had his doubts about the return, suggesting a boycott might have been a better way to point up inequities in American society, including the police brutality the led to the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police on May 25. .

I think we utilize the situation being in the bubble as a way to continue to push it because there are going to be so many eyes watching these basketball games, Temple told a Nets media Zoom call, noting that while he and Irving might have had their differences, they agreed on the ultimate goal.

Everybody has their own thoughts on how to affect change, Temple said. The main point is that everybody wants the same thing. Kyrie, myself, most of the black men in the NBA that are passionate about this or if they werent passionate, most of them are now we want the same thing. There are a lot of different ways to skin a cat.

The conversations were actually those conversations: Thinking about whats the way we can most utilize this extra push, these extra ears, and extra eyes that are on this situation. Everybody realized this is a little different than three or four years ago. The world was at a standstill, and this happened again; and because of the situation in terms of the pandemic, people have to watch. Its the only thing that was going on.

Temple added that by having so many eyes focused on Orlando and the fight for change, the NBA players wont let the nations focus shift.

As black men, black people in America, this is an everyday struggle. So the way we can utilize those two or three months in Orlando to continue to push the narrative, to have it fresh on peoples minds, is something we can do in terms of keeping it on peoples minds. We can really utilize our bubble and ESPN and Turner to help us push that narrative.

Still, he noted that like so many players whove thought about not going, he has a nervous anxiousness about the bubble.

There is no way to be comfortable when you think about where youre going to be, for the amount of time youre going to be there and the restrictions that you have there, Temple told reporters. The question of us being comfortable; that will not be the case whatsoever.

We will have to adapt. We will get tired of it. But in no way, shape or form will anyone actually be comfortable, whether it be on the court or off the court, during leisure time or not.

Temple also discussed meetings the team had with Van Jones, the CNN commentator and CEO of the REFORM Alliance, Zoom get-togethers arranged by Clara Wu Tsai, a partner in the Alliance which aims to reform Americas criminal justice system.

One thing he was saying was we want yall to keep playing. Yall are some of the few black people in America that have a little bit of money, so we dont want yall to stop that, Temple said. But his biggest thing to us was to continue to have home as black men, black women in America, that he does see a change in how things are going.

One of the most rewarding parts of a difficult time, Temple volunteered was that so many young and old white people had joined in the protests, compared to when George Zimmerman was acquitted of the 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin.

Nobody seemed to care, Temple said. It made me angry that it was so foreign to so many people, or people just didnt even pay attention to it.

Fast-forward eight or nine years later, it seems like people are finally starting to care about unarmed black men being brutalized by the police and black Americans in general being marginalized. So the biggest thing I see is the difference in how that has affected or everybody is trying to help.

On a personal note, Temple said that he will be at his fiance Kara McCulloughs side when she gives birth to their first child, expected sometime in September.

Im coming back to see my first child being born, Temple said. Thats not even in the question.

Of course, the Nets would have to take down one of the top seeds in the first round of the playoffs for them to still be playing when Temple becomes a father.

Chris Chiozza spoke with reporters as well on Sunday, saying that if Spencer Dinwiddie isnt be able play, hell be ready. Without Dinwiddie, the Nets seem to be ready to Caris LeVert man the point, which will give Chiozza a significant role as a back-up.

Asked if he was disappointed that the Nets didnt convert his two-way deal to a standard contract last week, Chiozza said it wasnt as if he expected it.

I wasnt sure that they were going to do it or not, so when it didnt happen, it didnt bother me too much because of the circumstances, he said. Im still going to be ready to play. Thats all I really cared about ... being able to be in the playoffs and the last few games of the season.

Under normal circumstances, two-ways like him and Jeremiah Martin wouldnt have been eligible for post-season play but under NBA rules adopted for the bubble, the two were added to the roster to fill in for the injured Irving and Kevin Durant.

As to whether hed want to come back next season hell be a restricted free agent come October Chiozza said he definitely wants to return.

Ive gotten comfortable here, enjoy the teammates, the staff, all the coaches. So I would love to back for sure.

The 24-year-old said he spent most of the last three-plus months at home in Memphis where he worked out with his father, his high school coach, at the schools gym. Like high school days, he joked.

Read more here:
Garrett Temple hopeful that bubble will advance social justice goals - NetsDaily

Tina Knowles-Lawson and Sybrina Fulton want to ensure fair and safe elections this fall as they stress the importance of the Black vote as a driver of change.

The mother of music superstar Beyonc and the mother of Trayvon Martin spoke with Sheinelle Jones on the 3rd hour of TODAY Thursday about their call for the U.S. Senate to pass the HEROES Act, which includes a provision for $3.6 billion in grants to states for planning, preparation and security of elections.

"Voting, absolutely, though it is not the key to success for all the problems, certainly does make a difference, especially at the local level," Knowles-Lawson said. "Just connecting the dots is what we're trying to do because sometimes in the Black community just because we have gone unheard for so long, people have the feeling that their votes don't count, that their voices don't count.

"So voting is the best way, the first way, for us to make our voices heard and to show our power because we get to elect the officials that govern these situations."

Trending stories,celebrity news and all the best of TODAY.

Knowles-Lawson has joined forces with Fulton and other mothers of those like Eric Garner and Breonna Taylor who have been lost to gun violence to write an open letter to Senate leaders to pass the bill. The Democrat-led House of Representatives voted to pass the bill last month, but it has stalled in the Republican-controlled Senate.

"We decided to come together to make our voice even stronger, to make our voice even more powerful," Fulton said. "It's very important to us that we stand together and we stand up for what's right."

Knowles-Lawson said her fear for the presidential election in the fall is a scene like the one this week in a primary election in Louisville, Kentucky, where voters were pounding on doors to get into the one polling place in a city of 600,000 people.

Voters in minority communities in Georgia had a similar issue earlier this month when they waited hours on line to vote due to fewer polling locations, lack of staffing and inoperable voting machines.

Knowles-Lawson also advocated for more absentee voting as a safer option during the coronavirus pandemic.

"You shouldn't have to decide between your health and going to vote," she said, adding, "Our prayer is that this lights a spark in that everyone will be outraged by the fact that this bill has not been passed and it's so badly needed."

Fulton continues to push for voting rights and racial justice eight years after her 17-year-old son was shot and killed in Sanford, Florida, by George Zimmerman, who was acquitted. Her son's name has been a rallying cry at protests around the world against racial injustice since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month.

Fulton has also decided to run for political office, competing for a seat on the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners in Florida.

She was asked about the indictments handed down Wednesday to the three suspects in the death of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man who was shot and killed while jogging in a Georgia neighborhood in February.

"That's very hard," she said. "They will be setting a precedent that says that Black lives matter, and I think that it's time, it's time for people to see that you just can't go out and shoot and kill us and not be held accountable, so I'm hopeful that they will be not only indicted, but convicted as well."

View post:
Tina Knowles-Lawson and Trayvon Martin's mom emphasize 'power' of the Black vote - Today.com

Celebrities such as Jada Pinkett Smith, Common and Muhammad Ali's cousin turn out for the Breonna Taylor rally in Frankfort Louisville Courier Journal

FRANKFORT, Ky. Wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the words "PROTECT HER," hip-hop star Common's message was clear Thursday afternoon.

Stand up for Black women, he said. And stand up for Breonna Taylor.

"I will stand up for and with Black women 'til my last breath," Common said in a poem he wrote about Taylor. "The date Breonna took her last breath was the date I took my first. March 13 is my birthday. And I will always honor Breonna on that day."

He finished: "Better tomorrows begin with us lifting up the Black woman."

More than 500 people gathered on the front steps of Kentucky's Capitol in the hot midday sun for the #JusticeForBreonnaTaylor rally, over 100 days since Taylor, a 26-year-old ER technician, was fatally shot by police in her Louisville apartment.

Common, actress Jada Pinkett Smith and rapper Rapsody were among the celebrities that stood alongside Taylor's family and attorneys in Frankfort.

For nearly three hours, rallygoers demanded justice not only for Taylorbut for all of the countrys Black women. Speakers at times referenceda 1962 quote from Malcolm X, who called the Black woman the most neglected person in America.

Thursday's rally was organized by Until Freedom, a New York-based collective of activists, organizers and survivors of racial injustice.

Breonna Taylor is everywhere, said Tamika Mallory, a national activist with Until Freedom.

The issue of Black women being killed and our voices being too low is a problem, Mallory continued, urging those in the crowd to learn about Pamela Turner, a Black woman from Houston who was shot and killed by police in May 2019.

Mallory called on Kentuckians to continue calling for justice in the Taylor case. The nation will be watching, she said, before directing her statement to Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, whose office is investigating Taylors death.

This aint no little thing where people aint paying attention, Mallory said.

Ben Crump, a Florida-based attorney for Taylor's family who has represented other families of Black Americans, said he believes Taylor is the face of a growing movement.

Taylor will be for Black women what Trayvon Martin has becomefor Black men, Crump said after the rally, referring to the 17-year-old unarmed teen who was fatally shot in Florida by a would-be vigilante named George Zimmerman.

On stage, Crump called on Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, who made one of his first public appearances since prosecutors droppedcharges against him more than a month ago.

Walker was charged with attempted-murder and assault for firing a shot inside Taylor's apartment on March 13 while police were serving a search warrant, striking Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly in the femoral artery. Walker has said he did not know it was police behind the door, and that he acted in self-defense.

Three officers returned fire, killing Taylor, who was unarmed, in her hallway.

Mattingly and Officer Myles Cosgrove remain on administrative reassignment for firing their weapons, and Brett Hankison, the third officer who fired his weapon that night, has been terminated from the police department, with the interim chief calling his actions "a shock to the conscience."

Hankison is appealing his termination.

We call a brother a hero who tries to defend his Black woman, Crump said. That is the definition of a hero.

Walker, who came to the podium amid chants of hero!kept his comments brief.

I know yall ain't heard a lot from me, if anything," he said. "But I just want to let yall know I appreciate all the love and support for me, and most definitely for Breonna. She would appreciate it, too.

"#Breewayy," he added, the family's hashtag and rallying cry for Breonna, before turning to embrace Crump.

Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer, brought with her a "Justice for Breonna Taylor"yard sign as a "gift" for Gov. Andy Beshear and Attorney General Daniel Cameron.

Put it in the yard, right in the middle," she said. "They need to remember their job, everyday.

Mysonne Linen, or The N.Y. General, a rapper and activist from the Bronx, and co-founder of Until Freedom, called Walker to his side before leading the crowd in a pledge to protect Black women.

This is a hero, he said, pointing at Walker. No longer will we stand and watch our Black women be harmed. We have to sacrifice our lives, if need be, to protect our Black women.

So we are pledging today that, not on our watch, will you ever harm another Black woman.

Songs from Black hip-hop artists, including Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar and Jadakiss, blared from loudspeakers stationed atop the Capitol steps as people arrived at the rally late Thursday morning.

A legislative staffer who left her office to view the start of the rally said she had spent the past 24 hours reading about the Taylor case and watching documentaries about racial injustice in the U.S.

Theyre killing them, said the woman, who was middle-aged and white.

The police are killing them. And I didnt know it, she said, tears in her eyes.

Before speakers took to the podium around noon, organizers played the song Rise Up by Sandra Day an unofficial anthem of the Black Lives Matter movement. Hundreds in the crowd sang along, their fists held high in the air.

When the song concluded, one woman lowered her fist to her face, using it to wipe a tear from her cheek.

Throughout the day, people could be seen viewing the crowd below from a portico above the Capitol steps, from Black custodial workers to Sen. Gerald Neal, a Louisville Democrat and the longest serving African-American member of the Kentucky legislature.

Democratic state Rep. Attica Scott of Louisville, Kentucky's only Black woman in the legislature, said "every level of government has failed us."

"From Attorney General Daniel Cameron to Gov. Andy Beshear," Scott said. "We are here to send a strong and loud message to the attorney general: To move swiftly, or get out of the way. We are here to send a strong message to Gov. Beshear: You better not ever send the State Police and National Guard to Louisville, Kentucky, ever again."

She also thanked the protesters who have been occupying "Injustice Square Park" the protesters name for Jefferson Square Park andthose who've called on Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer to resign.

"Yougot to go," she said. "Resign, Fischer."

Rapper Common reads a poem he wrote for Breonna Taylor during a rally in her honor on the steps of the Capitol building in Frankfort. Louisville Courier Journal

Sean Ali Waddell, Muhammad Ali's cousin, drew a raucous response from the protesters during an impassioned speech in which he finished with a demand for Cameron to charge the officers responsible for Taylor's death.

"Don't you be on the wrong side of history," Waddell said. "Don't you stay on the wrong side of history."

With the temperature soaring near 90 degrees, some speeches were interrupted by urgent calls for medics. Rally organizers several times lugged coolers stocked with ice and bottled water to the base of the Capitol steps.

As some took the shade on the nearby lawn, 26-year-old Alexis Taylor of Louisville stood tall under the scorching sun. For hours, she hollered support at the rallys speakers.

The event left her feeling really empowered and really energized, she said.

Taylor, a Black woman, said she felt a special connection to Breonna: They shared the same last name. They were the same age. They both lived in Louisville.

It could have easily been me, she said.

Taylor said she has had white friends come to her in recent weeks and apologize for not taking time to better understand what she and Black people go through every day. Seeing people of different races at the rally and at protests in Louisville makes her emotional, Taylor said.

A lot of people are starting to wake up. And that's good. And that means that these protests are working.

This has to end, one way or another, she added. And were just going to keep going until it does.

Reach Tessa Duvall at tduvall@courier-journal.com and 502-582-4059. Twitter: @TessaDuvall. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: http://www.courier-journal.com/subscribe.

Read or Share this story: https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/2020/06/25/breonna-taylor-rally-kentucky-rally-frankfort-demands-justice/3243061001/

Link:
Breonna Taylor rally: Common, Rapsody join 500-plus in vowing to stand up for Black women - Courier Journal

Weeks of protests across the U.S. following George Floyd's killing have put pressure on governments to scale back the use of force police officers can use on civilians and create new oversight for officer conduct.

Why it matters: Police reforms of this scale have not taken place in response to the Black Lives Matter movement since its inception in 2013, after George Zimmerman's acquittal for shooting Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager.

What's new: Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kennedy announced on Thursday that the city's police commissioner has placed a moratorium on tear gas and "other non-lethal methods," in response to videos of corralled Black Lives Matter protesters being tear gassed on June 1.

Catch up quick: The Minnesota Legislature failed to reach a deal on police reform measures, as Republicans clashed with Democrats pushing for restoring voting rights to felons and entrusting the state's attorney general with prosecuting police killings, the New York Times reports.

The bottom line: Allowing lawsuits, transparency into disciplinary records and limiting use of force are core to police reform, experts and advocates say.

Go deeper: More black police officers, yet the killings persist

See the rest here:
The major police reforms that have been enacted since George Floyd's death - Axios

The movement wants equality for all, but incidents such as the plane banner over Man City-Burnley shows not everyone understands the BLM slogan

Burnley captain Ben Mee was a picture of seething disappointment after his side's 5-0 defeat against Manchester City, but it had nothing to do with the result.

The game itself felt irrelevant as he directed his ire at the people who decided it was a good idea to fly a banner with the words 'White Lives Matter Burnley' over the Etihad Stadium.

A visibly furious Mee told Sky Sports that he was "ashamed and embarrassed" by the stunt, stressing that the message portrayed by the banner was not at all representative of the club or the players.

"It is not what we are about.They have missed what we are trying to achieve," the centre-back said in his rebuke.

"These people need to come into the 21st century and educate themselves. They don't represent what we are about, the club is about, the players are about and the majority of fans are about."

The banner in question appeared shortly after the players had knelt in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, as, indeed, other teams had done in previous games since the restart of English football.

Premier League stakeholders had also agreed to print the words 'Black Lives Matter' on the backs of jerseys and individual players have used their platforms toamplifythe voices of theBLM movement.

Mee was speaking on behalf of the Burnley team when he admonished those behind the banner, but his expression ofsharp disapproval was echoed by many within and outside the football community.

Man City star Raheem Sterling said it was "time for change" and former Manchester United captain Rio Ferdinand wrote on Twitter: "Well said Ben Mee... respect."

Former England star Gary Lineker lauded Mee's "leadership", while Labour MP David Lammy said that Mee had "given a lesson in how to call out offensive garbage".

Mee condemned the 'White Lives Matter' banner in the strongest possible terms, butthe most substantive part of his statement was that, as well as being offensive, itmisses the entire point of the BLM campaign.

'White Lives Matter' or 'All Lives Matter' reactions missthe point because the Black Lives Matter movement is not about denigratingthe worth of other ethnic groups; it is about highlighting a specific problem.

Black Lives Matter isagainstracism and systemic injustices against the Black community, andit works for equality for everyone.

The message of the slogan is not that Black lives matter more. It is not that thelives of Caucasian peopledon't matter. It is that Black lives matter just as much.

Reactionary cries that'White Lives Matter!' or even 'All Lives Matter!' demonstratea fundamentalmisunderstanding of what BLM is working for and fighting against.

Such cries also havethe effect of diminishing the plight of a community thathas sufferedviolentsubjugation in the pastand continues to feel the residual ill effects ofhistory, with overt and subtle racism still evident today.

The fact that 'White Lives Matter' has been used as a slogan for white supremacist groups is highly problematic and it creates an absurd false equivalence.

Robbie Earle noted that Mee had understood the issues"through the lens of a black man", telling NBC Sports in an emotional appraisal: "That is change, that is progression. That's people standing with you in the fight and if we can stand together in the fight we've got a chance."

So, when footballers take a knee and wear shirts emblazoned with the slogan, it is an act of solidarity, not of supremacy.It is an expression of a desire to rid the world of racism, in all its forms.

Black Lives Matter (or BLM) is asocial civil movement that arose in 2013 in response to police brutality against Black peoplein the United States.

George Zimmerman's acquittal in the case of the fatal shooting of Black teenager Trayvon Martin is considered the catalyst for the Black Lives Matter movement. It began to spread on social media platforms before developing into organised street protests and activism.

Inspired bythe civil rights movement, the Black Power movement and Black feminist movement among others, Black Lives Matter is most prominent in the U.S.,but has spread across the world.

The BLM website says that the movement is committed "to imagining and creating a world free of anti-Blackness, where every Black person has the social, economic, and political power to thrive".

The Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 are driven primarilyby the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed at the end of May duringan arrest bya police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Video footage circulated online of a handcuffed Floyd lying on the ground with police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on his neck for approximately nine minutes. Floyd could be heard in the footage saying that he could notbreathe.

His death sparked outrage in the U.S. and prompted hundreds of street protests across the country despite public health concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic. Protests subsequently spread to Europe and across the world, with demonstrators clashing with police in many cases, such as the UK, but on asmaller scale.

Go here to read the rest:
Explained: Why 'White Lives Matter' and 'All Lives Matter' misses the point of Black Lives Matter - Goal.com